The Tech Show Madrid team speaks with Mario Jiménez, CEO and founder of theGarage, about the agency’s evolution, the role that communications and public relations play today in the technology sector, and the new challenges posed by the rise of artificial intelligence. With more than a decade at the helm of theGarage and a career spanning both the media and corporate communications, Jiménez also shares his vision on the trends that will shape 2027 and gives us a sneak peek at the participation of clients such as Zalando and Cabify in the upcoming edition of Tech Show Madrid.

 

1. theGarage has grown significantly in recent years. How would you describe that evolution, and what has marked a turning point for the agency?

This evolution is the result of a lot of hard work and laying a very solid foundation from the agency’s inception. That’s exactly why it’s such a joy—not just because of the growth itself, but because you see that everything you’ve sown is bearing the fruit you hoped for.
There hasn’t been a clear “before” and “after,” because many things happened very naturally, while others came about after taking riskier decisions. For example, the pandemic actually benefited us greatly, because as an agency highly specialized in tech companies, we emerged from it much stronger. On the other hand, deciding to open an office in Portugal—and pulling it off in just two months—was a bold move that has been rewarded with very rapid (and quite unexpected) growth in a short amount of time.

 

2. What role do communication and public relations play today in the success of a technology brand, especially in a context where AI is rapidly transforming the industry?

An absolutely fundamental role. It sounds like a cliché, but a brand that doesn’t communicate doesn’t exist—and that’s truer today than ever before. If a user asks an AI a question and your brand doesn’t appear in the answer or is associated with negative attributes, that brand has become irrelevant and, moreover, loses visibility right at the user’s consideration stage. Preventing this is precisely the job of communication.

 

3. This year, several of theGarage's clients are participating in Tech Show Madrid. Can you tell us who they are and what they'll be presenting or looking for at the event?

This year, Zalando will be there, with Eloisa Siclari, General Manager for Spain and Italy, delivering a keynote titled “From Transactional E-commerce to Agent-Based Commerce: How Zalando Is Reinventing the Way We Discover Fashion and Beauty Products Online.” Cabify will also be there, with Abel Muiño Vizcaino, VP of Engineering, who will deliver the keynote “Builder Culture and AI Agents: How Internal Infrastructure Transforms Work and Collaboration with Engineering.”

 

4. How does your agency approach the communication strategy for a tech company that’s taking the leap to an event of this magnitude?

Strategy is a highly personalized process that is tailored to the needs and goals of each brand. Events are, of course, an important part of this strategy, and being featured at an event like the Tech Show is something many companies and spokespersons strive for; so, in addition to helping them secure a spot there, we work with them to ensure their participation is a success. We craft the messages, train the spokesperson, and try to make the most of the press coverage at the event…

5. Based on your experience working with so many tech brands, what trends in communications and PR would you highlight looking ahead to 2027?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from working alongside brands that are shaping the future, it’s that technology moves at one pace and people’s trust at another. By 2027, it won’t be impressive anymore to say you use AI or that you’re a disruptive platform; what truly sets a brand apart is how it translates that innovation into human relevance and credibility.
That said, trends I believe will be important to watch next year include, for example:

• The shift from the “hype” surrounding technology to transparency and ethics: the focus shifts from what the tool does to the real and ethical impact it has on society.
• Creative strategies to break through the digital noise: combine tangible experiential events, disruptive branding campaigns, and multiplatform narratives that make headlines for their entertainment value or public interest—not for self-promotion.
• Proactive PR to address synthetic reputation and misinformation, offering ultra-fast response protocols to verify data, safeguard corporate truth, and protect the reputation of the brand and its executives from digital manipulation.

 

7. To wrap up, what would you say to a tech company that’s thinking about taking the plunge into this type of event but hasn’t yet invested in communications and PR?

Every brand is at a different stage of maturity, so there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. What I do know for sure is that, when you’re ready, you have to communicate—whether it’s to attract investors or to highlight the unique value of what you do. If you don’t communicate—and having a strategy for maintaining a presence at events or on social media is also a form of communication—it’s difficult to build a reputation that will support you when you need it most.